Charlotte Sullivan, 1st UNEP Global Prize
European Commission and
United Nations Environment
Programme working together for
the Environment
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European Commission and UNEP
working together for the Environment
Table of contents
Foreword by Mr. Stavros Dimas
p.5
Foreword by Mr. Achim Steiner
p.6
1. The context of EC-UNEP relations
p.7
2. Working Together Globally
p.8
2.1 International Environmental Governance
p.8
2.2 Sustainable consumption and production
p.9
2.3 Global Management of Chemicals
p.10
2.4 Protecting the Natural Environment and Biodiversity p.12
2.5 Water and sanitation
p.12
3. Working together at the regional level
p.13
3.1 Working together in the Developing World
p.13
3.2 Working Together in the Mediterranean
p.15
3.3 Post-conflict environmental actions
p.16
3.4. Working Together in Europe
p.17
4. A Look to the Future
p.18
Foreword by Mr Stavros Dimas,
Member of the European Commission
for Environment
The world is already facing enormous environmental
challenges – and things could well get worse. There is
a consensus that climate change, biodiversity loss and
unsustainable patterns of production and consumption
are putting the very future of our planet at risk. And
these threats will make it ever harder to meet the United
Nations Millennium Development Goals. So it is vital
that we maximise our efforts by working together. I am
therefore very happy to be contributing to a publication
that shows how the European Commission is working
with the United Nations Environment Programme
towards the common aim of environmental protection
and sustainable development.
This brochure gives some examples of our joint activities.
We cooperate in many different ways in many different
parts of the world. For example, the European Commission
has been a willing participant in negotiations hosted by
UNEP that have led to international agreements. Our
support for the negotiation process which led to the
UNEP Strategic Approach to International Chemicals
Management is an example of what focused cooperation
and targeted European support can achieve at global
level. We can point to regional successes too, ranging
from our collaboration to help the Andean Community
to protection of the Caspian Sea.
In fact, both UNEP and the Commission recognised some
time ago that, because of the extent of our cooperation,
we need to give it formal recognition with a structured
framework for day-to-day implementation work. So in
September 2004 the Commission and UNEP signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This codifies
aims and ways of working, with regular meetings of
senior management on both sides to review activities,
provide focus and give guidance for the future. I am of
course happy to give my full political support to the MoU
and look forward to continuing to work with UNEP as we
turn its decisions into reality.
And what of the future? Both organisations agree – and
in this we are not alone – that environmental policy has
made remarkable progress since the UNEP was set up.
Environment has moved to centre stage in most policy
debates. Whether we are discussing development,
aid, trade or security, environment is critical. Now, as
never before, the awareness is there and public opinion
supports action in favour of sustainable rather than shortterm development. This is a great opportunity and it
must be seized! That is why the European Union, with
the Commission in the lead, advocates giving UNEP the
tools to do its job and meet these modern challenges.
UNEP must be upgraded. It must be made into a dynamic
UN Environment Organisation (UNEO) with stable,
adequate and predictable resources, so that it can address
contemporary challenges and emerging issues. It will find
in the European Commission a consistently enthusiastic
and cooperative partner.
Foreword by Mr. Achim Steiner
UNEP Executive Director
In the last twelve months we have witnessed some
remarkable developments in the field of global
environmental policy. The challenges have intensified
but so has the search for solutions. The science of climate
change is now indisputable. This was further underlined
in the latest reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change released in February 2007.
In April 2007, the UN Secretary General made the
link between climate change and human security.
He illustrated his remarks with six possible scenarios
showing the threat that would be caused to world
security by increasing climate change, as countries suffer
an increasing shortage of scarce resources, and limited
or threatened access to energy. He also pointed out that
when resources become scarce the earth’s ecosystems
become strained, along with the coping mechanisms
of groups and individuals. This can lead to a breakdown
of established codes of conduct, and even to outright
conflict.
Because of this, environment and the related global
institutional architecture are now for the first time
receiving the highest level of political attention.
Environmental considerations are now part of the political
agenda at international, regional and national level. UN
environmental activities are receiving closer attention from
Member States, including through the recommendations
put forward last year by the High-level Panel on Systemwide Coherence. We have a unique chance to reform the
institutions and structures that deliver global and regional
environmental policy. We must not let this chance slip
away, especially as public awareness is rising and citizens
are becoming increasingly concerned about what is at
stake.
Environment policy must move from the periphery to
the core of decision-making, so that precaution and
prevention become key elements of any decision that
could cause detrimental environmental change. At the
same time, we have to be creative in finding the right
solutions, working not just within public institutions but
also with the private sector and civil society.
In this globalised context, the relationship between
the European Commission (EC) and UNEP has grown
steadily in recent years, at both policy and programme
level. The EC is a trusted partner, and has continuously
shown environmental leadership both at home and at
international level, in areas ranging from climate change
to management of chemicals, from biodiversity to
management of waste. EC-UNEP cooperation is showing
visible results in many parts of the world, and EC support
for UNEP’s actions on environment and poverty, or on
sustainable consumption and production, are some of
the many examples that really help improve livelihoods
and safeguard environmental resources.
The European Commission and the United Nations
Environment Programme have played a key role in
enabling the latest developments on climate change. By
setting the world’s most ambitious targets for reducing
CO2 emissions and limiting the impacts of climate
change, the European Commission has shown itself to be
a global leader in fighting climate change.
These improvements have to be seen in the context of
the broadening EU–UN relationship. With its “deliver as
one” project, the UN has initiated major reform and is thus
able to cooperate with actors like the European Union in
a far more efficient and coherent way.
We have understood that the challenges ahead are so
immense that the only way to achieve internationally
agreed goals is by working together in mutual self interest.
In this way we can deliver a stable, just and healthy planet
for the present and future generations.
1. The context of EC-UNEP relations
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Established in 1972, UNEP is the voice of the environment
within the United Nations system. UNEP acts as a
catalyst, advocate, educator and facilitator, promoting
environmental protection and sustainable development
at the global level. To accomplish this, UNEP works
with a wide range of partners, including international
organizations such as the European Commission, other
United Nations entities, national governments, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector and civil
society.
UNEP’s work encompasses the assessment of
environmental conditions and trends, the development
of environmental instruments and the strengthening of
institutions for better management of the environment.
UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage
partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring,
informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve
their quality of life without compromising that of future
generations.
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the
European Union (EU). It proposes policy and legislative
measures which are adopted by the EU Council of Ministers
and the European Parliament. Its Directorate-General
for the Environment is responsible for European policymaking on the environment. It monitors environment
policy-making within EU Member States and projects
policy globally through its international bilateral and
multilateral contacts.
The European Commission participates actively in
developing and implementing multilateral environmental
agreements (MEAs) and other environmental negotiations
and processes within the United Nations framework.
Here the European Union’s constructive position, as
represented by the Commission, has on several occasions
proved crucial to ensuring progress.
As an example: the EU was widely praised for bringing
about the successful conclusion of negotiations under
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change and was a driving force in the adoption of
the Kyoto Protocol. Moreover, the Commission was a
leading player at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable
Development and remains actively engaged in current
UN reform debates, promoting the strengthening of
international environmental governance.
European Commission and UNEP cooperation on the
Environment
Conscious of the gains to be made by cooperating
actively, UNEP and the European Commission
significantly upgraded their relations in 2004 by signing
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This MoU
aims inter alia to reinforce organizational synergies, to
contribute to the achievement of the environmentally
relevant UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and
to support the implementation of the World Summit
on Sustainable Development (WSSD) commitments. In
practical terms, cooperation is realised through policy
exchanges on issues of common interest, joint work on
analysis and assessments and the exploitation of each
other’s comparative advantages.
An informal joint work programme helps focus cooperation
with the aim of achieving practical outcomes. Issues such
as chemicals management, sustainable consumption
and production, protection of the marine environment,
biodiversity, MEA implementation, environment and
security and project support are regular subjects of policy
dialogue.
The European Commission is also active with UNEP’s
governing bodies, in particular in UNEP’s Governing
Council. Here, the Commission traditionally offers a
significant regional perspective and long experience in
cooperative endeavours, feeding this experience into the
global debate.
2. Working Together Globally
UNEP and the European Commission are active partners in
establishing, implementing and evaluating international
environmental policies. Both parties are by nature
committed to the principle of multilateralism. Thus, both
favour action based on consensus and implemented by a
coherent international community. Central to their vision
of the world are competent national and international
institutions and relations based on the rule of law and
respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms.
The European Union and its Member States are
contracting parties to and keen supporters of a large
number of Multilateral Environmental Agreements. MEAs
are vehicles for negotiating and ensuring implementation
of international agreements on key environmental
challenges. The Commission has thus taken a prominent
role in such agreements, including the Climate Change
Convention and its Kyoto Protocol, the Montreal Protocol,
the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Basel,
Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions and a number of
regional agreements.
We shall now look at some examples of how Commission
and UNEP cooperation is driving the global agenda
supporting environmental sustainability at global level.
2.1 International Environmental Governance
The EU has a vital interest in contributing to the ongoing UN
reform process. Improving the efficiency and effectiveness
of UN bodies, policies and processes is an EU priority. In
June 2005 the Commission issued a Communication
on “The 2005 UN Summit – Addressing the global
challenges and making a success of the reformed UN”
(COM (2005) 259). Here the Commission reviewed issues
which are key for improved multilateral cooperation. These
include: delivering increased aid; mobilising trade as an
engine for development; addressing the social dimension
of globalisation; improving human rights, democracy and
the rule of law and protecting the natural resource base
for development.
A central element of current UN reform relates
to international environmental governance (IEG).
Environmental governance cannot be confined to the
local or national level. The global biosphere operates as
a single system, where the environmental impacts of
each nation ultimately affect the whole. That makes a
coordinated response from the community of nations a
necessity if we are to reverse today’s global environmental
decline.
The current formal system of IEG is focused on the United
Nations and indeed, following the Nairobi Declaration,
adopted by the UNEP Governing Council in 1997, UNEP’s
role is to be the leading environmental authority in
setting the global environmental agenda. Thus UNEP
has contributed to international environmental law,
developing legal regimes such as the Montreal Protocol
and the Convention on Biological Diversity etc.
Furthermore, UNEP has demonstrated that it can mobilise
scientific and legal talent to expand understanding of
environmental issues. For example, many scientists around
the world, coordinated by the World Meteorological
Organization and UNEP, have, contributed to the work
of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC), which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. The
latter’s analyses of climate processes and its projections
of future trends have played a major role in developing
consensus and thus facilitating agreement at international
negotiations.
Nevertheless, there is growing consensus that while
our ability to analyse global environmental issues
has improved, our ability to decide global policy and
subsequently take concerted global action has not kept
pace. For this reason, at its June 2005 European Council,
the EU advocated improving International Environmental
Governance, including through the gradual upgrading of
UNEP into a Nairobi-based United Nations Environment
Organisation (UNEO). Such an organisation would better
be able to address the environmental dimension of
sustainable development in an integrated and consistent
manner.
brought about by policy initiatives alone. In addition to
political and economic decisions taken by governments,
sustainability must be taken up by society at large; it
must become a guiding principle in the many choices
politicians, administrators and citizens make every day.
To achieve this will require a profound change in thinking
and different patterns of consumption and production.
2.2 Sustainable consumption and production
The world is currently consuming resources at an
unsustainable rate. Estimates suggest that at current
rates of consumption we would need much more than
one earth if we were to be sustainable. The European
Commission and UNEP are trying to address this enormous
challenge on a number of levels.
International Panel for Sustainable Resource
Management
In a collaborative effort, UNEP and the European
Commission in November 2007 set up an International
Panel for Sustainable Resource Management. The overall
objective of the Resource Panel is to provide independent
scientific assessment on the environmental impacts
of the use of resources (both renewable and nonrenewable) over the full life cycle. The Panel contributes
to sharing knowledge on decoupling resource use and
environmental impact from economic growth. It takes into
account economic development, resource productivity
and security of supply issues.
The Panel’s main tasks will be to bring together and
analyse state-of-the-art scientific knowledge from all the
regions of the world on the sustainable use of natural
resources, and translate these findings into practical
advice and recommendations to governments and
international organisations. It will assess the current
status of the knowledge base on the use of natural
resources and related environmental and sustainability
impacts over the full life-cycle and provide advice for
gathering more information. Work will include identifying
knowledge gaps and building consensus on definitions,
indicators, and methodologies with a view to measuring
and monitoring the progress achieved in decoupling at
international level.
Roundtables on Sustainable Consumption and
Production (SCP)
Clearly, however, sustainable development will not be
To encourage this change in thinking, the Commission
and UNEP have organised SCP roundtables with key
international partners and countries with emerging
economies. The focus has been on emerging economies
with a growing impact on the global environment and
patterns of resource use.
Roundtables held to date in China (May 2006), India
(September 2006) and Brazil (April 2007) have provided
opportunities for exchanges of opinion and expertise
between stakeholders in those countries and with the EU.
All these events resulted in recommendations for further
national activities. There will be a further round table with
South Africa and there are plans for activities to follow
up roundtables already held. Clearly this is a long-term
endeavour, but one which is already paying dividends
both locally and regionally.
Eco-labelling for developing countries
Another contribution to global sustainability in
consumption and production is UNEP-EU cooperation on
eco-labelling in developing countries. Thus, for example,
a four-year project promotes eco-labelling in China,
India, Mexico, Kenya and South Africa through capacity
building and support for stakeholders (business, including
industrial designers and the retail sector, government and
NGOs).
Results should include increases in the number of ecolabelled products. Local partners and product categories
(including textiles, footwear and appliances) have already
been identified in all relevant countries. By involving the
Global Eco-labelling Network some progress towards
better mutual recognition between the various ecolabelling schemes will also be sought. The European
Commission’s Programme on Environment in Developing
Countries provides €1.5 million to support this network.
2.3 Global Management of Chemicals
Chemicals and their targeted application have
revolutionised our lives. Agriculture, health and science
– all depend on chemical inputs. Clearly, however,
chemicals present potential dangers and some of their
side effects can be felt thousands of miles away and
years after their initial application. For this reason, we
need systems to determine and regulate their use and
guarantee their long-term compatibility with human
health and environmental sustainability. Within the EU,
the response to this challenge has been REACH - the
Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation and Restriction
of Chemicals. REACH is fully compatible with global
initiatives on chemicals as sponsored by the UN.
REACH, Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006
concerning
Registration,
Evaluation
and
Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals
Evaluation: Public authorities will study registration
dossiers and substances of concern. They can
request more information if necessary.
REACH entered into force on 1 June 2007. It aims
to protect human health and the environment
through better and earlier identification of the
properties of chemical substances.
Authorisation:
Use-specific
authorisation
will be required for chemicals causing cancer,
mutations and reproductive problems or for
those accumulating in the human body or in the
environment. Authorisation will be granted when
risks are demonstrably and adequately controlled
or when social and economic benefits outweigh
the risk and suitable alternative substances do not
exist.
REACH involves:
Registration: Producers and importers of
chemicals must register them with the European
Chemicals Agency, submitting information on their
properties and uses, and safe ways of handling
them. It is expected that around 30 000 substances
will be involved.
Restrictions: The Commission may restrict the use
of certain dangerous substances at EU level.
In fact, there is a long history of collaboration between
UNEP and the EC on chemicals. Both organisations have
played key roles in developing the current international
framework of binding conventions (e.g. the Rotterdam
Convention on Prior Informed Consent - PIC - and the
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants)
and voluntary schemes such as the Globally Harmonized
System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals.
Capacity-building schemes and global chemicals
institutions have also benefited from the support of both
bodies. In all cases, both UNEP and the Commission
have shared the vision of the 2002 Johannesburg World
Summit on Sustainable Development, which set the
goal for 2020 of producing and using chemicals in ways
that do not lead to significant adverse effects on human
health and the environment.
Strategic Approach to International Chemicals
Management (SAICM)
The need for a broader international regime on chemicals
management was recognised with the 2006 decision of
the UNEP Governing Council in Dubai to approve SAICM
- a policy long advocated by the European Commission.
SAICM comprises a Dubai Declaration expressing
commitment by ministers, heads of delegation,
representatives of civil society and the private sector. An
Overarching Policy Strategy sets out the scope, the
needs, the objectives, the underlying principles and the
financial and institutional arrangements, while a Global
Plan of Action sets out proposed work areas and activities.
A Quick Start Programme and its voluntary, time-limited
Trust Fund were also agreed to support initial enabling
capacity building and SAICM implementation in particular
in developing countries. The Commission has been an
important contributor to the funding of SAICM and the
Quick Start Programme
Mercury
Of the chemicals currently in use, mercury has played an
important but now declining role. Here too, however, the
correlation between EU policy and wider international
developments as led by UNEP has been significant.
In 2005 the European Community adopted a Mercury
Strategy. The strategy’s twenty actions will support
reductions in the use and emissions of mercury in the
EU and globally. Then in October 2006 the European
Commission proposed legislation that would ban all EU
mercury exports from 2011. The proposed Regulation
would significantly reduce global supply, and thus
emissions of the heavy metal into the environment, and
require mercury no longer used in the chlor-alkali industry
or generated in other industrial operations to be put in
safe storage once the export prohibition takes effect.
UNEP too has been active at global level. In 2003 a
UNEP Mercury Programme was established, based on
the recognition that mercury’s adverse global impacts
warrant international action. The 24th session of UNEP’s
Governing Council in 2007 agreed on the need to
strengthen international action on mercury and set up
a process investigating the need for a global, legally
binding instrument. To this end, a 2007 – 2008 Ad Hoc
Working Group will report to the 25th session of the UNEP
Governing Council. The Working Group too benefits from
Commission financial support.
Rotterdam Convention
UNEP and the European Commission also collaborate
to facilitate the ratification of the 1998 Rotterdam
Convention on prior informed consent by third countries
and to support its implementation at global level. The
Convention creates a system for informing countries that
import hazardous materials about the hazards they pose.
It also provides for prior informed consent (PIC) by the
importing country before the trade can be completed.
EU Regulation (EC) No 304/2003 concerning the export
and import of dangerous chemicals implements the
Rotterdam Convention within the Union. The Regulation
fully transposes the provisions of the Convention, but also
goes beyond the Convention in a number of important
respects.
The EC and UNEP are currently collaborating on actions
designed to facilitate the ratification and implementation
of the Rotterdam Convention around the world.
2.4 Protecting the Natural Environment and
Biodiversity
2.5 Water and sanitation
Although the term “bio-diversity” (more simply: the
variety of life forms on earth) regrettably remains poorly
understood by non-specialists, it is in fact a measure of
the health of our planet and the basis for our existence.
Dealing with biodiversity loss is thus a matter of supreme
concern. For this reason, the UN Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD), whose secretariat is run
by UNEP, has adopted the 2002 Johannesburg WSSD
objective of significantly reducing biodiversity loss by
2010.
Around the world over 2.4 billion people have no proper
sanitation and one billion have no drinkable water. Some
two million children die every year (6,000 a day) from
preventable infections spread by dirty water or improper
sanitation. Millennium Development Goal 7 includes
reducing by half the proportion of people without
sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic
sanitation by 2015.
The EU, for its part, has gone even further, setting the goal
of halting the decline in bio-diversity in the EU by 2010.
The Commission is strongly committed to reinforcing the
CBD as the key international instrument for achieving
the 2010 target and to making sure that it is effectively
implemented. The EC Biodiversity Strategy and Action
Plan and the 2006 Biodiversity Communication outline
how the CBD is implemented by the EU.
One of the ten objectives of EU biodiversity policy, as
outlined in the 2006 Communication, is to strengthen
global governance for biodiversity, in particular by
strengthening the Convention on Biological Diversity.
This has been achieved by implementing the CBD
Programme of Work on Protected Areas, identifying
biodiversity-rich and vulnerable marine areas beyond
national jurisdictions, supporting negotiations on an
international regime on Access and Benefit Sharing and
supporting the representation of indigenous and local
communities at CBD meetings.
Furthermore, UNEP and the Commission have cooperated on a broad range of biodiversity-related
international agreements such as the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and
the Bonn Convention on Migratory Species.
A number of projects have also been supported, including
a Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP) addressing the
threat to the survival of gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos
and orangutans (See Section 3.1). Also, a Wings Over
Wetlands project, the largest ever international wetland
and water bird conservation initiative in the AfricanEurasian region, helps countries to conserve the critical
wetland areas these birds require to complete their annual
migrations across Africa and Eurasia
The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development
underlined the need for international cooperation on
water and sanitation and in recent years the UNEP and
the EU approaches have been mutually supportive. The
EU supports partner countries in ensuring sustainable and
equitable management of water resources and access to
water and sanitation. The policy emphasises the need to
integrate sustainable water management into national
and regional development strategies.
The EU Water Initiative (EUWI) was launched at the
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in
2002 with the aim of contributing to achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the WSSD
targets for drinking water and sanitation. The €500 million
ACP-EU Water Facility, established in 2004 is a response
to the need to generate additional funding.
The 24th Governing Council agreed on an updated sixyear UNEP Water Policy and Strategy for 2007-2012,
whose overall goal is to contribute substantively to
environmental sustainability in the management of water
resources through integrated ecosystems approaches.
The strategy identifies the key components of UNEP’s
freshwater work and a framework of integrated water
resources management.
In this context, the EC and UNEP together work on a
number of common projects around the world. Priorities
are derived from the EUWI and from the EU-Africa Strategic
Partnership on Water Affairs and Sanitation, signed by
Heads of State for EU and Africa at the WSSD.
Finally, through the Partnership for the development
of law and institutions in Africa (PADELIA) and in
collaboration with the European Commission, UNEP
also assists the development of water related laws and
regulations at national level in many countries.
EC-UNEP project:
Support
AMCOW
in
Implementing the Triennial Work Programme
(2006-2008)
(a) stimulating action by states, river and lake basin
organizations and sub-regional organizations
to meet agreed targets and objectives;
UNEP is the executing agency for EC support to
AMCOW (African Ministers Council on Water) and
its work programme.
(b) monitoring progress in meeting the objective
in Africa, and report to the relevant global
monitoring mechanisms such as the United
Nations Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP);
The main objective of the AMCOW Work
Programme is to help African States, sub-regional
organizations and river and lake basin organizations
to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and
the World Summit on Sustainable Development
(WSSD) targets on water and sanitation.
Specific objectives under the AMCOW Programme
of Work include:
(c) developing and presenting coordinated
priorities to regional, multilateral and bilateral
donors, including the United Nations system, to
ensure that the delivery of support is consistent
with African priorities;
(d) suggesting actions to address identified
issues.
3. Working together at the regional level
The European Commission and UNEP also cooperate in
establishing sustainable environmental policies at the
regional level. The biennial work programme of UNEP,
adopted by the Governing Council, contains actions
implemented at the regional and sub-regional levels.
3.1 Working Together in the Developing World
Sustainable development relies on a balanced pursuit of
environmental, economic and social policies. Environment
should thus be fully integrated into national development
strategies. The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and
the Millennium Development Goals provide the policy
background to EC-UNEP cooperation in developing
countries.
Moreover, UNEP’s role in the ongoing UN reform process
(“One UN”) has allowed to it to upgrade its contribution to
policy work in the developing world. The implementation
of the Bali Strategic Plan for Technology Support and
Capacity-Building (BSP) adopted in 2005 by the 23rd
Governing Council is a major UNEP advance.
The Bali Plan seeks to strengthen the capacity of
governments in developing countries and countries with
economies in transition to address their needs, priorities
and obligations in the field of the environment. The
Plan cuts across all of UNEP’s activities. Moreover, by
calling on the expertise of other UN bodies such as the
UN Development Programme (UNDP), it brings together
environment and development activities in areas as diverse
as waste treatment, data gathering, environmental law
and wildlife. The Commission recognizes the importance
and potential of such synergies. It has thus devoted –
and will continue to devote – significant resources and
support to this initiative.
Many environmental problems need to be addressed
across borders if they are to be resolved successfully. The
protection of natural resources is crucial. The protection
of tropical forests, wildlife, water resources etc. can often
only be achieved through international action. A good
example of EC-UNEP cooperation in this context is work
undertaken in collaboration with local governments, civil
society, international institutions etc. for the protection of
great apes in Africa.
coral reef resources in South Asia” with UNEP-World
Conservation Monitoring Centre – project website:
http://www.sacep.org/pdf/wspreport2_icran_
pro.pdf
• A UNEP-UNDP project to scale up their joint
Poverty and Environment Initiative, which aims
to Mainstream Environment in National
Development Processes to Achieve the MDGs
(http://www.unpei.org/).
Other projects between the UNEP and the Commission in
the regional cooperation area include:
• “Strengthening and Capacity Development for
the Long-term Management and Conservation of
Marine and Coastal Protected Areas encompassing
Example: Great Apes Survival Project
The Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP) was
launched in March 2001. The EC is supporting the
project through financial assistance.
The GRASP Partnership has as an immediate aim
to lift the threat of imminent extinction facing most
populations of great apes. Its mission is to conserve
in their natural habitats, wherever they exist, wild
populations of every kind of great ape and to make
sure that apes and people interact in a mutually
positive and sustainable way.
GRASP plays a unique role in complementing existing
great ape conservation efforts. The instruments
it uses include: intergovernmental dialogue and
policy making, conservation planning initiatives,
technical and scientific support for governments
of countries with great ape ranges, flagship field
projects and raising funds and awareness in donor
countries.
In September 2002, GRASP was registered as a
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)
Type II Partnership, a multi-sectoral international
initiative. The GRASP Partnership brings together
governmental and intergovernmental actors, UN
institutional and non-governmental expertise,
scientific and academic foundations, local
communities and private sector interests.
3.2 Working together in the Mediterranean
UNEP has for many years been promoting cooperation
between countries around particular seas through its
UNEP Global Programme of Action for the Protection
of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities
Special Focus:
EC-UNEP cooperation in
the Mediterranean
(GPA). In this context a particularly useful cooperation has
taken place through the involvement of the Union and its
relevant Member States in the UNEP-led Mediterranean
Action Plan (MAP), under the Barcelona Convention for
the protection of the Mediterranean Sea.
The Barcelona Convention for the Protection
of the Marine Environment and the Coastal
Region of the Mediterranean and its Protocols
is the major legal framework for protection of the
Mediterranean environment.
includes a number of specialized regional activity
centres and programmes, and a consultative body
known as the Mediterranean Commission for
Sustainable Development (MCSD). On the basis
of recommendations from the MCSD, in 2005, the
Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention
adopted the Mediterranean Strategy for
Sustainable Development (MSSD).
The Convention was adopted in 1976 and amended
in 1995 to take into account the results of the
UN Conference on Environment and Sustainable
Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The
amended Convention came into force on 9 July
2004.
In 2005, the European Commission and the MAP
secretariat signed a Joint Work Programme,
outlining areas for enhanced cooperation, partly
designed to ensure integration of environmental
concerns into sustainable development policies as
applied in the region.
Twenty-one Mediterranean countries and the EC
are Contracting Parties to the Convention.
The European Commission and Mediterranean
partner countries have been cooperating in the
context of the Euro-Mediterranean Horizon 2020
initiative to de-pollute the Mediterranean Sea by
2020. A series of concrete actions (road-map) were
adopted by Euro-Mediterranean Environment
Ministers in Cairo in 2006 and the initiative aims
to increase coordination between the relevant
Mediterranean partners and organisations.
The Mediterranean Action Plan is a comprehensive
programme aimed at protecting the environment
and fostering sustainable development in the
Mediterranean Basin. It is based on the Barcelona
Convention.
The Secretariat of the Barcelona Convention
(and MAP) is based in Athens, and it operates
under the auspices of UNEP. The MAP system also
More information at: http://ec.europa.eu/
environment/enlarg/med/horizon_2020_en.htm
3.3 Post-conflict environmental actions
UNEP has worked with the European Commission and
other international and national actors to address the
need for post-conflict environmental remediation in
conflict areas such as the Balkans, the Middle East and
Central Asia. UNEP’s work has included the evaluation
Example: Post Conflict work in
Afghanistan
At the request of the Transitional Islamic
Government of Afghanistan, UNEP together
with the European Commission and the
Ministry of Irrigation, Water Resources and
Environment announced in 2003 a €4.27 million
programme to promote good environmental
governance and to support the rehabilitation
of the country’s environment.
of environmental damage and designing legal and
administrative measures needed to redress degraded
environments.
These assessments provide a factual basis on which the
European Commission and other operational bodies may
decide on a hierarchy and priorities for action.
many of the institutional recommendations
contained in UNEP’s 2003 report “Afghanistan
Post-conflict Environmental Assessment”.
The Programme, aimed at strengthening
environmental management structures in
Afghanistan, covers the areas:
- environmental institutions and coordination
- environmental law and policy
- environmental impact assessment
The project, funded largely by €3.75 million
from the EC, addresses the key environmental
intervention priorities inscribed in the National
Development Budget of the Government of
Afghanistan. These actions aim to address
- environmental information and education
- community-based natural resources
management
- regional cooperation
3.4 Working Together in Europe
The UNEP Office to the European Union in Brussels is
the link between Community institutions and the central
office of UNEP in Nairobi and its regional offices around
the world. Its chief interlocutor is DG Environment of
the European Commission, but it maintains extensive
cooperation with the Directorates-General for External
Relations, Development and EuropeAid. The UNEP
Regional Office in Geneva and the Paris Office of the
UNEP Division of Technology, Industry, and Economics
also provide additional entry points for cooperation with
UNEP.
The Commission Delegation in Nairobi also provides an
important link between Commission services and UNEP.
As described above, UNEP and the Commission work
together at many levels on matters of environmental
policy development and implementation. The
involvement of the Commission in actions agreed at
UNEP’s Governing Council, its support for the execution
of decisions made by many MEAs, and the realisation
of common programmes are just some of the ways in
which UNEP and the Commission interact. UNEP in turn
has the opportunity to give its input to many aspects of
environmental and other EU decision-making in Brussels.
In short, UNEP’s work with the European Commission is
multi-faceted. It is both codified and formal (as evidenced
by the joint Memorandum of Understanding). However,
its greatest value may lie in all the different regular and
more or less formal contacts which mutually influence
both organisations.
4. A Look to the Future
This publication is an attempt to present an updated but
by no means comprehensive picture of UNEP - European
Commission cooperation on environment around the
world. This strong relationship will doubtless continue
to grow both through informal but regular contacts and
through the renewal and updating of the Memorandum
of Understanding.
In the future, as in the past, the Commission and UNEP
will aim to promote better and more efficient world
environmental governance, to support sustainable
development for all through the execution of relevant UN
decisions and to ensure that environmental challenges
are met with decisive action all around the world.
European Commission
EC and UNEP - Working together for the environment
Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities
2006 — 20 pp. — 21 x 29,7 cm
ISBN 978-92-79-05613-0
Copies of this publication are available free of charge from:
European Commission
Directorate-General for the Environment
Information Centre (BU-9 0/11)
B-1049 Brussels
Fax: +32-2-2996198
http://bookshop.europa.eu
Photos credits:
Cover picture: 2007-UNEP: Miss Charlie Sullivan, 12 years old, UK-1st. prize Global Winner of the
2007 UNEP’s children’s painting competition.
P. 7: EC.
P.8: Image Source.
P.10: Photodisc.
P.13: EC/ECHO.
P.14: Photodisc.
P.15: 2006-UNEP: China roundtable on sustainable consumption and production.
P.16: 2007-UNEP: World Environment Day in Kabul, Afghanistan.
P.17: 2006-UNEP: India roundtable on sustainable consumption and production.
P.18: 2004 © EC/ECHO/François Goemans
KH-78-07-223-EN-C